Site Search Navigation

Site Navigation

Site Mobile Navigation

Obama Says Swine Flu ‘Not a Cause for Alarm’

By Jeff Zeleny April 27, 2009 9:37 amApril 27, 2009 9:37 am

Kevin Lamarque/ReutersPresident Obama spoke at the annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences.

President Obama said on Monday that the growing number of cases of swine flu in the United States and abroad was “not a cause for alarm,” but he sought to assure Americans that the government was taking precautions to prepare for the prospect of a global health pandemic.

“We are closely monitoring the emerging cases of swine flu in the United States,” Mr. Obama said, speaking at the National Academy of Sciences. “This is obviously the cause for concern and requires a heightened state of alert, but it’s not a cause for alarm.”

The remarks by Mr. Obama, which came at the beginning of a previously-scheduled speech that he delivered to scientists in Washington, marked the first time the president has personally addressed the swine flu. He said his administration was monitoring the disease and taking precautions to ward off a wider spread of the swine flu, which emerged from Mexico last week.

Mr. Obama said the swine flu outbreak underscored the need for a larger investment in scientific research in the United States. He said science should not be seen as a luxury, but rather as a key element of the nation’s security.

“Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment and our quality of life than it has ever been before,” Mr. Obama said. “If there was ever a day that reminded us of our shared stake in science and research, it is today.”

Mr. Obama said federal funding for physical sciences, as a proportion of the gross domestic product, has fallen by nearly half over the last quarter century. He used the speech to bolster his argument for increasing funding to scientific research, which is a challenge given the budget shortfalls and economic condition of the country.

President Obama is walkng a fine line. Of course, he should not start a panic. However, without exaggeration, it is likely to assume that this swine flu is as contagious as any other flu. with a 2 to 7 day incubation period.

Though the majority of cases of it are mild, the evidence coming from Mexico suggests that it is still far more lethal tna other more established flu strains. Hence, as the number of mild cases appear (of which the case is bound to raise, as it appears the virus is no longer containable and is in the US), the numbers of hospitalizations and deaths will most likely increase, unfortunately.

Given this, it is not premature for the EU healh comissioner to indicate that all non-essential travel be postponed as we know more about the lethality of the virus.

Given this, something that can play in the following weeks or months, the US public might conclude that Mr. Obama failed to raise the alarm quickly enough, and might have his own Katrina. The stakes are high, and I believe nobody would blame Mr. Obama if he errs in the side of caution.

These outbreaks must prepare for future virus breakouts that can have probability to wipe out mankind from planet Earth. It may not be alarming but it sure serve as test for us to get ready for bigger virus outbreaks in the future.

I wonder if he mentioned that $780 million for the CDC to develop measures to deal with a pandemic flu outbreak was cut from the economic stimulus bill by Republicans who thought it “wasteful”. Of course they all (but for three) voted against it anyway, so that particular compromise seems pretty dumb in retrospect.

“This is obviously the cause for concern and requires a heightened state of alert, but it’s not a cause for alarm.”

I know you want the click-through traffic but intelligent people should know there is a difference between concern and alarm. Both words mean you take the issue seriously, the latter means you do so with a heightened sense of worry or panic. The virulence in Mexico is cause for alarm there.

Tragically, the CDC estimates that 20,000 to 50,000 people die annually from Influenza and its complications in the United States. It is important to have the perspective of this number in mind when analyzing a newly unfolding situation. This flu variety is responsive to Tamiflu, therefore vigilance can keep it relatively well-controlled in the US.

“If there was ever a day that reminded us of our shared stake in science and research, it is today.”

“What a demagogic statement.” — Ann

At first glance, Ann, I thought you had posted your usual, fact-free, anti President Obama rant, but then i thought that perhaps you had a basis for calling our president’s statement “demagogic”….which is?

Be afraid, be very afraid…. and if you turn off the news you might die! Please, what a joke. How many people die a year in the U.S. from the flu? On average 20,000 people a year die from regular flu, that averages out to 54 deaths a day.
Attention media, when swine, bird, or any other disease kills a 1,000 people in 24 hours let me know and I will freak out. Until then enough with the scare tactics.

Swine flu comes and swine flu goes. It seems like almost every month we have a potential pandemic. I’ll worry only after there is some reason to think this will be worse than the SARS pandemic or the Bird Flu pandemic.

These diseases are terrible for the individuals who have them and their families. For the world as a whole they are more a scare tactic than a health treat. I’m glad we have competent leadership to track and manage these things, but it would be absurd to alter our daily lives every time the news media start tracking a disease.

Wonder how much Obama and company stand to make off of this – considering he/they own stock in Tamiflu.
I also recall Biden and Powell stating there would be a crisis not long after Obama took office – only they “couldn’t” tell us what the crisis would be …. hmmm. Sure hope this wasn’t planned but remember, they planted the seed (for those of us who are leary of our officials) to think this way.

The President is correct about funding for the physical sciences dropping over the last quarter century. We realize that he is implying that the Conservatives did the cutting. The part he doesn’t say is that the high funding for the physical sciences 25 years ago was military related.

President Obama is walkng a fine line. Of course, he should not start a panic. However, without exaggeration, it is likely to assume that this swine flu is as contagious as any other flu. with a 2 to 7 day incubation period.

Though the majority of cases of it are mild, the evidence coming from Mexico suggests that it is still far more lethal tna other more established flu strains. Hence, as the number of mild cases appear (of which the case is bound to raise, as it appears the virus is no longer containable and is in the US), the numbers of hospitalizations and deaths will most likely increase, unfortunately.

Given this, it is not premature for the EU healh comissioner to indicate that all non-essential travel be postponed as we know more about the lethality of the virus.

Given this, something that can play in the following weeks or months, the US public might conclude that Mr. Obama failed to raise the alarm quickly enough, and might have his own Katrina. The stakes are high, and I believe nobody would blame Mr. Obama if he errs in the side of caution.

A Focus on fact not fiction.
Investment in Energy Independence.
Commitment to geopolitical peace with intelligence and worldwide collaboration (and force when necessary).
And a true Re-investment in working and middle class Americans.

It is interesting to see how the Caucus moderators, whose paper endorsed Hillary in the primaries and now have a bit of unresolved PUMA rage of their own, constantly delete any post pointing out the complete irrationality and logical inconsistencies of rabid PUMAs such as Ann. So much for professional integrity. Your colors are showing.

The Bush flu was particular dangerous for people who serve in the military, and those who had a faith that would be “non christian” .

In Iraq some 100.000 people have sofar died, not counting the servicemen. And we have still not seen the end of it yet.

Luckily Dr. Dick Strangelove Cheney and his sidekick (really his boss) came up with a cure: More troops, bigger goverment spending, and Blackwater mercenaries. Also lies and coverups was a part of the cure for a worried population back home.

President Obama drew criticism on Thursday when he said, “we don’t have a strategy yet,” for military action against ISIS in Syria. Lawmakers will weigh in on Mr. Obama’s comments on the Sunday shows.Read more…